Heel.



Patented May 7,1901. J. n. REED.

HEEL.

(Application filed Sept. 1 0, 1900.)

(In Model.)

INVENTDFK WITNESEE;

0.. WASHINGYON o c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. REED, OF SWAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS.

HEEL.

SIEGIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 673,450, dated May 7,1901.

7 Application filed September 10, 1900. Serial No. 29,526. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. REED, a citizen of the United States,residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHeels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in heels for boots and shoesand more particularly to an improved metallic heel casing or shell.

The object of my invention is to provide a heel casing or shell drawn upout of a single piece of sheet metal, which shall be light,

strong, and durable, 'which can be readily attached to the heel portionof a shoe-sole, and which shall be adapted to receive and hold asuitable tread portion, preferably of rubber or other flexible material.

With this object in view my invention consists in the heel-shellhereinafter described and claimed.

The present invention is particularly dirooted to forming a heel casingor shell suitable for use in connection with the heel described in thepatent to Blackadar, No. 634,743. I have found that the shell of theheel of the said patent being exposed to the action of water anddampness is liable to expand and to permit the rubber tread portion toescape. In order to obviate this objectionable feature, I have produceda shell to hold a removable tread portion of rubber in the mannerdescribed in said patent which is strong, capable of being easily andfirmly attached directly to the sole of the shoe, and which is asresilient and elastic as is necessary in this class of heels.

A heel-shell embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the same. Fig. 2 isa sectional view on the line a: 00, and gig. 3 is a sectional view onthe line y 'y of Referring to the drawings, in which like characters ofreference indicate like parts, 1 and 2 designate the walls of the shell,the side walls 1 forming the rounded back of the heel and the wall 2 thebreast portion of the heel. The sides 1 of the shell extend upward tothe edge 3 and are then bent downward, as at 4, in close proximity tothe sides 1 for a distance approximately equal to the thickness of thesole of the shoe to which the heel-casing is to be applied and theninward, as at 5, in a plane substantially perpendicular to the surfacesof the outer part of the shell to form a shelf, upon which the heelportion of the sole of the shoe rests and to which it is seen red bymeans of screws or nails passing through the holes 6. The .wall 2,forming the breast of the heel, extends upward to the horizontal shelf5, its upper edge being on a plane with the shelf, so that the sole ofthe shoe passes onto the shelf without passing over a projecting edge.

The heel-casing above described is drawn from a single piece of sheetmetal, whereby all the parts are integral and all soldered or rivetedjoints are dispensed with. A light, strong, and durable casing or shellis thus produced. The return-bend of the material at the upper edge ofthe shell makes this edge, which receives the strains to which the shellis subjected in walking, very strong. Furthermore, the return-bend formsa rounded edge which will not cut or mar the upper. The shelf 5, uponwhich the heel portion of the sole of the shoe rests, is supported fromthe upper edges. of the sides 1 by means of the downwardly-extendingportion 4t,whereby it can move slightly with relation to the sides ofthe shell. The heel portion of the sole of the shoe is thus yieldinglysupported by the heel-shell, and objectionable rigidity is avoided. Thesides 1 of the shell are slightly concaved, as shown, to give it theappearance of a heel as ordinarily constructed and also to cause thesides to grasp and hold. a tread portion consisting, preferably, of ablock of rubber or other yielding material.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to form a heel-shell ofmetal comprising side walls and an inwardly-extending horizontal shelfforming a support for the heel portion of a shoe-sole, such a heel-shellbeing disclosed in the patent to Richardson, No. 219,526, datedSeptember 9, 1879; but my invention is clearly differentiated therefromin a number of respects, of which the following are important: It willbe observed that the cut through the upper around the heel-seat,

whereas in my heel-shell the upper edge of the heel which embraces theheel portion of y the sole is round, so that it can under nocircumstances cut or lllJllIG the upper. Again,

by making the shelf 5 integral with the downi wardly-extending portion 4of the side of the heel the shelf is more resiliently attached to theoutside of the heel-shell, so that under the pressure of the footin'walking it may come and go and the jar incident to the more rigidconstruction of the said patent is avoided, besides which it will beobserved that my construction is materially stronger than theconstruction illustrated in said patent.

I am also aware that it has heretofore been proposed to form aheel-shell of two pieces of sheet metal bent into suitable shape to fitoverthe heel of a boot or shoe and to receive a rubber tread portion,such a heel-shell being disclosed in the patent to Moffett, No. 76,794,dated April 14, 1.868; but the fact that the heel-casing of the saidpatent is adapted to fit over the heel and not over the heel portion ofa sole requires that the shelf should be much lower relatively than theposition of the shelf in my heel-shell, with a consequent weakening ofthe construction. Again, the heel-casing of the said patent is difiicultto construct by reason of the fact that it is made up of a number ofpeculiarly and irregularly shaped pieces of metal, which have to beaccurately stamped out in order to produce the heel. It will beobserued,'=furthermore, that the shelf'of the heel-casing described inthe said patent is made up of a number of overlappinginwardly-projecting pieces of metal instead of being made of a singleflat piece, whereby the heel is prevented from forming a close unionwith the shelf. The most essential feature, however, by which myinvention is difierentiated from the constructions disclosed in thepatents above referred to and from all other constructions with which Iam familiar is that my heel-casing is drawn from a single piece of sheetmetal, whereby a light and strong casing free from soldered or rivetedjoints is produced.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire ,to secureby Letters Patent of the United States-- As an article of manufacture, ashell for heels of boots and shoes drawn from a single piece of sheetmetal and consisting of walls forming the breast and sides of the heel,the sides of the shell being extended upward to embrace the heel portionof the sole of a shoe and downward with a return -bend inside thereoffor a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the sole of theshoe and inward in a plane substantially perpendicular to the surfacesof the outer part of the shell to form a shell upon which the solerests.

Intestimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES H. REED.

WVitnesses: I

HoRAoE VAN 'EVEREN, A. W. RICE.

